Page 59 of The Princess, the Prick & the Priest (Confessions 4)

ROBBIE FELT AS though he were in a daze as he slipped his hand into Julien’s. His heart was so full it was close to bursting, and as he looked out at the twinkling lights all around them, he wondered if it was physically possible to be as happy as he was without passing out from the rush of it.

“Show me,” Robbie whispered, and then looked to the two men who had just made every wish of his a reality.

Julien’s smile was dazzling as he tugged Robbie forward, and as they followed the wraparound porch to the back of the house instead of going inside, Robbie’s curiosity was piqued. This evening was not going anything like he’d expected, and he was starting to suspect he had no hope of guessing what these two had in store for him.

As they made a turn to walk toward the back of the cottage, Robbie looked over his shoulder to see Priest following. His hands were in his pockets, his attention fastened on the two of them, and when he caught Robbie’s eyes, the smile that crossed his mouth made Robbie’s entire body respond. That smile was like gold, and Robbie swore to himself he would spend the rest of his life making sure Priest continued to look at him that way.

Robbie grinned, and Priest indicated with a nod that he should turn around, and what Robbie saw when he did, took his breath away.

Julien let go of his hand and stepped aside, and Robbie slowly walked forward to where the back porch opened up to a set of stairs leading to the ground below. There, lighting up the forest floor like stars, were dozens of lanterns, as far as the eye could see.

Robbie looked over his shoulder to see Julien and Priest standing side by side. “I’ve never seen anything more beautiful…ever.”

Robbie reached for the rail to hang on, knowing there was a very real possibility his legs were about to give out.

How it was possible to feel so much and still be standing, he had no idea. But when Julien reached him and said, “I have,” and kissed him before heading down the stairs, Robbie gripped the rail a little tighter and watched as Julien disappeared into the trees.

“May I?” Priest said as he came up beside Robbie and crooked his arm.

Robbie slid his hand through Priest’s offered elbow and said, “Thank you. I feel a little…”

“Off-balance?”

Robbie chuckled. “Off-balance. Breathless. So happy my entire body might float away from the high of it?”

“Well don’t do that,” Priest said as he guided Robbie down the stairs. “Not when there’s so much down here waiting for you.”

As they reached the bottom, Robbie looked out ahead of them and whispered, “This place is like a fairy tale.”

“Fit for a princess, then?”

Robbie nodded, and as Priest guided them forward, Robbie became aware of something he’d heard earlier. He’d been so distracted by what he was feeling and seeing that he hadn’t realized the sound of rushing water—the sound of a waterfall—was much louder now.

As Priest weaved them through the golden glow of the lights, Robbie took in the beauty of the untouched slice of paradise they had somehow been granted access to tonight. Then Priest drew them around a corner, and Robbie gasped.

“Oh my God.” Robbie could barely believe what he was seeing. He stared at Julien, who stood on a deck in front of a table that was draped in white, with the moonlight shining down over him, and the backdrop of the most gorgeous waterfall Robbie had ever seen in his life.

“I can’t… I don’t… I don’t know what to say,” Robbie managed, as he tried to look at everything all at once. There were candles on the table, three chairs around it, and lanterns all over the place, and nothing in his wildest dreams could’ve ever come close to a night like this.

“I believe our chef is waiting on you, sweetheart.”

As Priest’s words floated around him, Robbie tore his eyes away from the most romantic setting he’d ever seen. “Then let’s not make him wait any longer.”

JULIEN STOOD IN awe of the two men walking his way, and allowed the heady feeling of love to envelop him. Over the past several months they’d been navigating their way through this relationship one day at a time.

They’d experienced incredible highs and some devastating lows. But when Robbie said yes to them back there on the porch, Julien knew that from here on out, whatever they were dealing with, the three of them would always be able to get through it together, as one.

As Priest stood aside to let Robbie climb the steps, he looked up to Julien and winked, and Julien thought his heart might just stop. He knew tonight was Robbie’s night. But as Julien waited for his princesse to reach him, he couldn’t help but feel this was a renewal for him and Priest also. An affirmation that their love was just as strong now as it had been eight years ago.

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